CN112530106A - Commodity sales data processing apparatus and storage medium - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention discloses a commodity sales data processing device and a storage medium, which can urge to move commodities from a first area to a second area in a device for reading wireless tags in the first area and the second area, the device comprises: a first reading unit which is provided in a first area where a commodity is placed and reads tag information including an identifier for identifying the commodity and a wireless tag from the wireless tag attached to the commodity; a second reading unit which is provided in a second area to which the commodity placed in the first area is moved, and reads the tag information from the wireless tag attached to the commodity; a registration unit for performing sales registration of the commodity based on the tag information read by at least one of the first reading unit and the second reading unit; a settlement unit that performs settlement processing of the commodity sold and registered by the registration unit; a detection unit for detecting the movement of the commodity from the first area to the second area; and a suppressing unit that suppresses execution of the settlement processing until the detecting unit detects movement of the commodity.

Description

Commodity sales data processing apparatus and storage medium

The present application claims priority to japanese application having application number JP2019-169676, application number 09/18/2019, and the contents of the above application are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

Technical Field

Embodiments of the present invention relate to a commodity sales data processing apparatus and a storage medium.

Background

In a retail store (shop) such as a supermarket, a commodity sales data processing apparatus, which is also called a self-service checkout apparatus or a self-service POS, is used in which a customer performs operations related to sales registration and checkout processing of commodities in person.

In recent years, in order to facilitate the operation related to the sales registration of a commodity, there is a commodity sales data processing apparatus that reads commodity information from a wireless tag (also referred to as an RFID tag, an electronic tag, an IC tag, or the like) attached to the commodity and performs the sales registration based on the commodity information. For example, a configuration has been proposed in which a shopping basket containing commodities is placed on the upper surface of a checkout stand in which an antenna capable of communicating with a wireless tag is embedded, and commodity information is collectively read from the commodities contained in the shopping basket.

In addition, in the above configuration, although a plurality of wireless tags can be read at the same time, there is a case where some wireless tags cannot be read because the wireless tags and the antenna are not in an appropriate positional relationship. For example, depending on the arrangement state of the articles stored in the shopping basket, the wireless tags may not be read from all the articles.

Therefore, a configuration may be considered in which another antenna is embedded in another area (hereinafter, referred to as a second area) adjacent to an area (hereinafter, referred to as a first area) in which a shopping basket is placed, and when a product taken out of the shopping basket is moved to the second area, a wireless tag is read from the product. For example, by regarding the second area as an area where the articles are bagged, the articles moved from the shopping basket to the shopping bags and the like can be read in units of single articles, and therefore, unread articles that cannot be read by collective reading can be retrieved. In the store side, the movement of the product from the first area to the second area is defined as a basic operation, thereby reducing the number of unread products.

However, since the movement of the product from the first area to the second area is entrusted to the customer, there is a possibility that the customer does not move the product to the second area. Therefore, a technique for urging the movement of the product from the first area to the second area is required.

Disclosure of Invention

In view of the above-described problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a product sales data processing apparatus and a storage medium, which can urge a product to move from a first area to a second area in the product sales data processing apparatus that reads a wireless tag in the first area and the second area.

To solve the above problem, an embodiment of the present invention provides a commodity sales data processing apparatus, including: the device includes a first reading unit, a second reading unit, a registration unit, a checkout unit, a detection unit, and a suppression unit. The first reading unit is provided in a first area where a product is placed, and reads tag information including an identifier for identifying the product and a wireless tag from the wireless tag attached to the product. The second reading unit is provided in a second area that is a destination of movement of the product placed in the first area, and reads the tag information from the wireless tag attached to the product. The registration unit performs sales registration of the commodity based on the tag information read by at least one of the first reading unit and the second reading unit. The payment unit executes payment processing for selling the registered commodity by the registration unit. The detection unit detects that the article has been moved from the first area to the second area. The suppression unit suppresses execution of the settlement processing until the detection unit detects movement of the commodity.

According to the above-described product sales data processing apparatus, it is possible to urge the movement of the product from the first area to the second area.

In the above-described product sales data processing apparatus, the detection unit detects that the product has been moved from the first area to the second area when the tag information is read by the second reading unit.

According to the above-described product sales data processing apparatus, the movement of the product can be detected by reading the tag information.

In the above-described product sales data processing apparatus, the detection unit detects that the product has been moved from the first area to the second area when the tag information read by the first reading unit is read by the second reading unit.

According to the above-described product sales data processing apparatus, the movement of the product can be detected by reading the same tag information.

In the above-described commodity sales data processing apparatus, further comprising: and a weight measuring unit provided in the second area and configured to measure a weight of the commodity placed in the second area, wherein the detecting unit detects that the commodity has moved from the first area to the second area when the weight measured by the weight measuring unit changes.

According to the above-described product sales data processing device, the movement of the product can be detected by the change in weight.

In the above-described product sales data processing apparatus, when the weight of the product identified by the tag information read by the second reading unit matches the amount of change in the weight measured by the weight measuring unit, it is detected that the product has moved from the first area to the second area.

According to the above-described product sales data processing device, the movement of the product can be detected by measuring the weight that matches the weight of the product identified by the wireless tag.

In the above-described commodity sales data processing apparatus, further comprising: a display unit on which the payment unit displays a display urging movement of the commodity to the second area.

According to the above-described commodity sales data processing apparatus, it is possible to notify the customer that the commodity needs to be moved at the time of the settlement processing.

In the above-described commodity sales data processing apparatus, further comprising: an operation section, wherein the suppression section invalidates an operator of the operation section.

According to the commodity sales data processing apparatus described above, it is possible to prevent a customer from performing an operation to settle accounts.

In the above-described commodity sales data processing apparatus, further comprising: a display unit, wherein the suppressing unit displays a display on the display unit to urge movement of the commodity toward the second area.

According to the above-described product sales data processing device, it is possible to notify the customer that the product needs to be moved when the customer restrains the product.

In the above-described commodity sales data processing apparatus, further comprising: and a permission unit configured to permit the settlement processing regardless of the detection by the detection unit.

According to the commodity sales data processing device described above, the settlement processing can be performed even in a state where the commodity is not moved to the second area.

A storage medium according to another aspect of the present invention stores a program for causing a computer of a product sales data processing apparatus to function as: a registration unit configured to perform sales registration of a product based on tag information of a wireless tag attached to the product read by at least one of a first reading unit and a second reading unit, the first reading unit being provided in a first area where the product is placed and configured to read the tag information including an identifier for identifying the product and the wireless tag from the wireless tag, the second reading unit being provided in a second area that is a destination of movement of the product placed in the first area and configured to read the tag information from the wireless tag; a settlement unit that executes settlement processing for the commodity sold and registered by the registration unit; a detection unit that detects that the article has been moved from the first area to the second area; and a suppression unit configured to suppress execution of the settlement processing until the detection unit detects movement of the commodity.

According to the above-described storage medium, the computer of the commodity sales data processing apparatus can be provided with a function of urging the movement of the commodity from the first area to the second area.

Drawings

Next, a commodity sales data processing device and a program according to an embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. A more complete appreciation of the invention and many of the attendant advantages thereof will be readily obtained as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein the accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding of the invention and form a part of this application, and wherein the illustrated embodiments of the invention and the description thereof are intended to illustrate and not limit the invention, wherein:

fig. 1 is an external perspective view showing an example of the configuration of a self checkout device according to a first embodiment;

fig. 2 is a diagram schematically showing an internal configuration of a cash register station according to the first embodiment;

fig. 3 is a diagram for explaining the operation of a customer in the self-checkout apparatus according to the first embodiment;

fig. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration of the self-checkout apparatus according to the first embodiment;

fig. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a functional configuration of the POS terminal according to the first embodiment;

fig. 6 is a flowchart showing an example of commodity sales data processing performed by the self-checkout device according to the first embodiment;

fig. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a functional configuration of a POS terminal according to a modification of the first embodiment;

fig. 8 is a flowchart showing an example of commodity sales data processing performed by the self-checkout device according to the first modification of the first embodiment;

fig. 9 is a diagram schematically showing an internal configuration of a cash register according to the second embodiment;

fig. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration of the self-checkout apparatus according to the second embodiment;

fig. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a functional configuration of a POS terminal according to the second embodiment;

fig. 12 is a diagram schematically showing an internal configuration of a cash register according to a modification of the second embodiment; and

fig. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration of the self-checkout apparatus according to the first modification of the second embodiment.

Description of the reference numerals

1 self-checkout device 10 POS terminal

20 cashier desk 21 first loading area

22 second mounting area 31 first antenna

32 second antenna 33 RFID reader

71 weight sensor 71a first weight sensor

71b second weight sensor 141 reading control part

142 commodity registration unit 143 settlement processing unit

144 display control unit 145 movement detection unit

146 account settlement control unit 147 authentication processing unit

Detailed Description

(first embodiment)

Next, an example of the product sales data processing apparatus and the program will be described with reference to the drawings. The present embodiment is an example in which a commodity sales data processing device and a program are applied to a self-checkout device in which a customer performs operations related to sales registration and checkout processing in person. The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described below.

Fig. 1 is an external perspective view showing an example of the configuration of the self checkout device according to the first embodiment. The self checkout apparatus 1 is an example of a commodity sales data processing apparatus, and is used in stores such as supermarkets, for example.

The self-checkout apparatus 1 has a POS terminal 10 and a checkout counter 20.

The main body 2 of the POS terminal 10 includes a monitor 3b (display unit) having a touch panel 3a (operation unit) disposed on the surface thereof. As the monitor 3b, for example, a liquid crystal display is used.

The main body 2 of the POS terminal 10 is provided with a card insertion port 4 for inserting a customer's membership card or credit card at the time of payment (reconciliation settlement), and a ticket issuing port 5 for issuing a ticket. The card insertion port 4 communicates with a card reader 35 (fig. 4) described later, and the ticket issuing port 5 communicates with a ticket printer 36 (fig. 4) described later.

The main body 2 of the POS terminal 10 is provided with a bill depositing/dispensing port 6 for depositing bills for reconciliation and settlement or accepting change bills, a coin depositing port 7 for depositing coins during reconciliation and settlement, and a coin dispensing port 8 for accepting change coins. The bill storage slot 6, the coin insertion slot 7, and the coin removal slot 8 communicate with a change dispenser 34 (fig. 4) described later.

The checkout counter 20 has a top plate 20 a. The top plate 20a is a substantially smooth plate. The top plate 20a has a first mounting area 21 as an example of a first zone and a second mounting area 22 as an example of a second zone. In the first placement area 21, for example, a basket 51 (see fig. 3) in which a commodity 60 to be purchased is placed. The second placement area 22 is an area to be a destination of the movement of the commodity 60 placed in the first placement area 21.

The top plate 20a (the first placement area 21 and the second placement area 22) is formed of, for example, wood, acrylic, or the like through which radio waves radiated from a first antenna 31 and a second antenna 32 described later are transmitted. The first placement area 21 and the second placement area 22 are preferably formed of a material or a color different from the other areas so that the areas of the respective areas can be easily seen by the customer.

Fig. 2 is a diagram schematically showing an internal configuration of the cash register 20. The checkout counter 20 has a first partition wall 23 parallel to the ceiling 20a below the ceiling 20 a. Further, a second partition plate 24 for dividing the first mounting region 21 and the second mounting region 22 is provided between the top plate 20a and the first partition plate 23 in a direction (z-axis direction) orthogonal to the top plate 20 a. Here, the second partition plate 24 may be formed of a member that transmits a radio wave or a member that blocks (or reflects) a radio wave.

A first antenna 31 as an example of a first reading unit is provided below the first placement area 21 of the first partition plate 23. A second antenna 32 as an example of a second reading unit is provided below the second placement region 22 of the first partition plate 23.

The first antenna 31 and the second antenna 32 radiate radio waves upward (positive z-axis direction), thereby forming a radiation range capable of communicating with an RFID tag 62 described later above the top plate 20 a. Specifically, the radio wave radiated from the first antenna 31 forms a radiation range 31a above the first placement area 21. The radio wave radiated from the second antenna 32 forms a radiation range 32a above the second placement area 22.

Although the example in which the second partition plate 24 is provided is described in fig. 2, the second partition plate 24 may be eliminated. The positions and numbers of the first antenna 31 and the second antenna 32 and the radiation direction of the radio wave shown in fig. 2 are examples, and are not limited to these. For example, the second antenna 32 may be provided behind the ceiling 20a of the checkout counter 20 in a state of being vertically provided in parallel to the xz plane, and the second antenna 32 may radiate the radio wave in the y-axis negative direction. At this time, since the radio wave is radiated in the y-axis negative direction with respect to the second placement area 22, a radiation range of the radio wave is formed in an area including the second placement area 22.

Next, the operation of the customer using the self checkout apparatus 1 will be described with reference to fig. 3. Fig. 3 is a diagram for explaining the operation of a customer who uses the self-checkout apparatus 1.

First, the customer 50 places the basket 51 containing the commodity 60 in the first placement area 21 of the checkout counter 20.

Here, each of the products 60 is provided with an RFID tag (Radio frequency identification) 62. The RFID tag 62 stores tag information. The tag information includes a product identifier (hereinafter, also referred to as a product code) for identifying the product 60 to which the RFID tag 62 is attached, a tag identifier for identifying each RFID tag, and the like. The RFID tag 62 is activated upon receiving the radio waves radiated from the first antenna 31 and the second antenna 32, and transmits tag information stored in the RFID tag itself. The RFID tag 62 is an example of a wireless tag.

As described above, the radiation range 31a of the radio wave radiated by the first antenna 31 is formed above the first placement area 21 of the checkout counter 20. Therefore, when the customer 50 places the basket 51 in the first placement area 21, the commodities 60 stored in the basket 51 can be contained in the radial range 31 a. The RFID tag 62 attached to each of the products 60 is activated by the radio wave radiated from the first antenna 31, and transmits the tag information stored in itself to the first antenna 31. In this way, the tag information can be collectively read from each of the products 60 placed in the first placement area 21.

Then, the customer 50 takes out the commodity 60 loaded in the basket 51 and places it in the second placement area 22. For example, the customer 50 moves the product 60 loaded in the basket 51 into the cash register bag placed in the second placement area 22.

As described above, the radiation range 32a of the radio wave radiated by the second antenna 32 is formed above the placement area 26 of the cash register 20. Therefore, when the customer 50 takes out the commodity 60 from the basket 51 and moves the commodity 60 to the second placement area 22, the commodity 60 enters the radiation range 32 a. Therefore, when the product 60 is moved to the second placement area 22, the RFID tag 62 attached to the product 60 receives the radio wave radiated from the second antenna 32 and starts up, and transmits the tag information stored in itself to the second antenna 32.

When the tag information received by the first antenna 31 and the second antenna 32 is acquired by the RFID reader 33 described later, the POS terminal 10 checks the product code included in the tag information against the product code of the PLU file F1 (fig. 4) described later, and acquires product information of the matching product 60. The POS terminal 10 stores the acquired commodity information in the RAM40c (see fig. 4) or the like, thereby registering sales of the commodity 60.

According to the above configuration, in the self checkout apparatus 1, the tag information of the commodity 60 that cannot be read in the first placement area 21 can be read through the second placement area 22. For example, in a state where a plurality of products 60 are accommodated in basket 51, there may be a case where unread products whose tag information cannot be read are overlapped with each other or in a posture inside basket 51. In this case, in the above configuration, since the tag information of the product 60 moved out of the basket 51 can be read in the second placement area 22 on a product-by-product basis, it is possible to reduce unread products and to reliably register the sale of the product 60 purchased by the customer.

Next, the hardware configuration of the self checkout apparatus 1 will be described. Fig. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the self checkout apparatus 1.

As shown in fig. 4, the self checkout apparatus 1 includes a control unit 40, a storage unit 41, and an output controller 43.

The control unit 40 includes a cpu (central Processing unit)40a, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 40b, and a RAM (Random Access Memory) 40 c. The CPU40a is connected to the ROM40b and RAM40c by a bus 42. The CPU40a expands various programs stored in the ROM40b or the storage unit 41 in the RAM40 c. The CPU40a controls the self checkout apparatus 1 by operating according to various programs developed by the RAM40 c. That is, the control unit 40 has a general computer configuration.

The control unit 40 is connected to the storage unit 41 and the input/output controller 43 via the bus 42.

The storage unit 41 is a nonvolatile memory such as a flash memory or an HDD (hard disk Drive) that holds storage information even when power is off. The storage unit 41 stores programs including the control program P1, and the like. The control program P1 is a program for causing the functions of the self checkout device 1 to function.

The control program P1 may be installed in the ROM40b in advance and provided. The control program P1 may be provided by being stored in a computer-readable storage medium such as a CD-ROM, a Floppy Disk (FD), or a CD R, DVD (Digital Versatile disk) in a file in a form that can be installed or executed by the control unit 40. The control program P1 may be stored in a computer connected to a network such as the internet and provided by being downloaded via the network. The control program P1 may be provided or configured via a network such as the internet.

Further, the storage section 41 stores the PLU file F1. The PLU file F1 is a file that stores commodity information of each commodity 60 sold in the store. The product information includes a product code, a product name, a price, and the like that can identify the type of the product. Since the product 60 sold in the store changes every day, the PLU file F1 is updated as needed by a server device, not shown, connected to the POS terminal 10.

Further, the storage section 41 stores a member file F2. The member file F2 is a file in which member information on a customer (member) who has previously performed member registration is stored. The member information includes a member ID for identifying a customer, a name, an address, an email address, and the like of the customer.

The input/output controller 43 is connected to the touch panel 3a, the monitor 3b, the change machine 34, the card reader 35, and the receipt printer 36. The input/output controller 43 is connected to the RFID reader 33, the first antenna 31, and the second antenna 32. The input/output controller 43 controls various hardware connected thereto based on an instruction from the control unit 40. The control unit 40, the storage unit 41, the input/output controller 43, the touch panel 3a, the monitor 3b, the change machine 34, the card reader 35, and the receipt printer 36 are incorporated in the POS terminal 10. The RFID reader 33, the first antenna 31, and the second antenna 32 are built in the checkout counter 20.

The touch panel 3a detects an operation of various buttons displayed on the monitor 3b by the operator, and then transmits information corresponding to the operation to the control unit 40. Instead of the touch panel 3a, a mechanical switch may be provided on the main body 2 of the POS terminal 10.

The monitor 3b displays various buttons for operating the self checkout apparatus 1, commodity information read by the self checkout apparatus 1, and the like.

When the customer 50 pays for the purchase of the commodity 60 with cash, the change machine 34 receives the banknotes and coins paid by the customer 50 and pays out change (change) as needed.

The card reader 35 reads a member ID for identifying a customer from a member card distributed to the customer in advance. Further, the card reader 35 reads the contents of the cards when the customer 50 makes a credit card settlement or makes a payment with a card in which electronic money is registered.

The ticket printer 36 prints the transaction performance of the customer 50 on the ticket and issues it.

The RFID reader 33 operates the first antenna 31 and the second antenna 32 to radiate radio waves from each of the first antenna 31 and the second antenna 32. The RFID reader 33 acquires tag information from the RFID tag 62 received via the first antenna 31 and the second antenna 32, and outputs the tag information to the POS terminal 10. The RFID reader 33 can also identifiably acquire tag information received by either the first antenna 31 or the second antenna 32. For example, the RFID reader 33 may output the tag information with an identifier indicating the antenna of the receiving source attached to the tag information to the POS terminal 10.

Next, a functional configuration of the self-checkout apparatus 1(POS terminal 10) will be described. Fig. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the POS terminal 10.

As shown in fig. 5, the POS terminal 10 includes a reading control unit 141, a commodity registration unit 142, an account settlement processing unit 143, a display control unit 144, a movement detection unit 145, and an account settlement control unit 146. Some or all of these functional units may be software components realized by cooperation with various programs (for example, the control program P1) stored in the processor (CPU40a) and the memory (ROM40b, storage unit 41). A part or all of these functional units may be configured by hardware realized by a dedicated circuit or the like.

The reading control unit 141 controls the RFID reader 33 to control reading of tag information using the first antenna 31 and the second antenna 32. Specifically, the reading control unit 141 controls the RFID reader 33 to cause the first antenna 31 and the second antenna 32 to transmit radio waves for communication with the RFID tag 62. The reading control unit 141 acquires the tag information received by the first antenna 31 and the second antenna 32 via the RFID reader 33.

The product registration unit 142 is an example of a registration unit. The article registration unit 142 performs sales registration of the article 60 purchased by the customer based on the tag information acquired by the reading control unit 141 read by at least one of the first antenna 31 and the second antenna 32. Specifically, the product registration unit 142 obtains the product information of the product 60 corresponding to the product code included in the tag information by checking the product code included in the tag information with the product code of each product stored in the PLU file F1. The product registration unit 142 temporarily stores the acquired product information in the RAM40c, thereby performing sales registration of the product 60 read by the cash register 20.

The product registration unit 142 performs an exclusive process based on the tag identifier in order to prevent the product code included in the tag information having the same tag identifier from being repeatedly sold and registered. For example, the product registration unit 142 performs control so that the product information related to the same tag identifier is not repeatedly registered by performing sales registration of the tag identifier of the tag information used for the acquisition of the product information together with the product information.

The payment processing unit 143 performs payment processing (payment unit) for the commodity 60 purchased by the customer based on the commodity information that has been sales-registered by the commodity registration unit 142. For example, the settlement processing unit 143 calculates the total amount of the commodities 60 based on the prices included in the commodity information of the commodities 60 that have been registered for sale by the commodity registration unit 142. The settlement processing unit 143 subtracts the total price from the amount of payment deposited by the money deposit and withdrawal unit 15, and discharges the subtracted value (change amount) from the money deposit and withdrawal unit 15 as change.

The display control unit 144 causes the monitor 3b to display various screens. For example, the display control unit 144 displays a list of the commodities 60 that have been registered for sale by the commodity registration unit 142. The display control unit 144 also displays a GUI for supporting the operation of the self checkout apparatus 1, such as operation buttons (operation buttons) for instructing the execution of the checkout processing by the checkout processing unit 143. The display control unit 144 also displays the total amount calculated by the settlement processing unit 143, the change amount, the payment amount deposited by the money depositing and withdrawing unit 15, and the like.

In the self-checkout apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment, the tag information is read in both the first placement area 21 and the second placement area 22 provided in the checkout counter 20. Therefore, when the commodity 60 is placed in the first placement area 21, the commodity registration unit 142 can perform registration processing based on the tag information read by the first antenna 31. At this time, since the product names of the products 60 registered by the function of the display control unit 144 are displayed in a list on the monitor 3b, the customer may perform the settlement process without moving the products 60 to the second placement area 22.

However, as described above, the reading in the second placement area 22 is a reading that performs a return (recovery) function for reading the product 60 that has not been read in the first placement area 21. Therefore, when the payment processing is started while the commodities 60 are not moving to the second placement area 22, there is a possibility that the payment is performed while all the commodities 60 placed in the first placement area 21 are not registered.

Therefore, in the self-checkout apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment, the functions of the movement detection unit 145 and the checkout control unit 146 suppress the checkout process from being started until the commodity 60 is detected to have been moved into the second placement area 22. Next, the movement detection unit 145 and the checkout control unit 146 will be described.

The movement detecting unit 145 detects the movement of the commodity from the first placement area 21 to the second placement area 22 (detecting unit). Specifically, the movement detection unit 145 detects that the product 60 has moved from the first placement area 21 to the second placement area 22 based on the tag information acquired by the reading control unit 141. The condition for determining that the product 60 is moved to the second placement area 22 may be set arbitrarily.

For example, the movement detection unit 145 may determine that the product 60 has moved from the first placement area 21 to the second placement area 22 on the condition that the tag information is received by the second antenna. In this case, the movement detector 145 can detect the movement of the commodity 60 (unread commodity) that has not been read in the first placement area 21 even when the commodity 60 is moved to the second placement area.

For example, the movement detection unit 145 may determine that the product 60 has moved from the first placement area 21 to the second placement area 22 on the condition that the same tag information (the same tag identifier) as the tag information received by the first antenna 31 is received by the second antenna 32. In this case, the movement detection unit 145 can detect the movement to the second placement area 22 when any one of the commodities 60 read in the first placement area 21 is read in the second placement area 22.

For example, the movement detection unit 145 may determine that the product 60 has moved from the first placement area 21 to the second placement area 22 on the condition that all the tag information received by the first antenna 31 has been received by the second antenna 32. In this case, the movement detection unit 145 can detect the movement to the second placement area 22 when all the commodities 60 read in the first placement area 21 have been read in the second placement area 22.

For example, the movement detection unit 145 may determine that the product 60 has moved from the first placement area 21 to the second placement area 22 on the condition that the number of tag information (tag identifiers) received by the first antenna 31 is temporarily stored and the number of tag information (tag identifiers) received by the second antenna 32 is equal to or greater than the temporarily stored number. In this case, the movement detection unit 145 can detect the movement to the second placement area 22 based on the number of pieces of tag information read in the first placement area 21 and the second placement area 22, and therefore, the processing load can be reduced compared with the case where the matching determination of the tag information is performed.

The payment amount control unit 146 controls execution of payment amount processing by the payment amount processing unit 143. Specifically, the payment amount control unit 146 suppresses execution of the payment amount process until the movement detection unit 145 detects movement of the commodity 60 to the second placement area 22 (suppressing unit). Here, the suppression method of the checkout processing is not particularly limited, and various methods may be employed.

For example, the checkout control unit 146 may disable the checkout processing unit 143 itself to suppress execution of the checkout processing. For example, the settlement control unit 146 may disable an operator that instructs execution of the settlement processing in cooperation with the touch panel 3a, the display control unit 144, or the like, thereby suppressing execution of the settlement processing. That is, an operator instructing execution of the checkout process is not displayed or grayed out on the touch panel 3a without accepting the operation (invalidating the operation).

In this way, in the payment control unit 146, the payment process by the payment process unit 143 is suppressed until the commodity 60 is moved to the second placement area 22. In this way, since the customer who operates the self checkout apparatus 1 moves the commodity 60 to the second placement area 22 to perform the checkout process, the movement of the commodity 60 from the first placement area 21 to the second placement area 22 can be urged.

Further, preferably, the checkout control unit 146 displays a screen (message or the like) prompting the movement of the product 60 to the second placement area 22 on the monitor 3b in cooperation with the display control unit 144 when the tag information is received by the first antenna 31.

Next, an operation example of the self checkout apparatus 1 will be described. Fig. 6 is a flowchart showing an example of the commodity sales data processing performed by the self-checkout apparatus 1. As a premise of this processing, the settlement processing of the settlement processing unit 143 is invalidated in a default state.

First, the reading control section 141 determines whether or not the tag information is read by the RFID reader 33 (step S11). When the RFID reader 33 does not read the tag information (No at step S11), the read control section 141 transitions to step S14.

When the read control unit 141 determines that the RFID reader 33 has read the tag information (Yes at step S11), it acquires the tag information (step S12). Next, the product registration unit 142 performs sales registration (registration processing) of the product 60 purchased by the customer based on the tag information acquired in step S12 (step S13), and the process proceeds to step S14.

Next, the settlement control unit 146 determines whether or not it is detected that the commodity 60 has moved to the second placement area 22, based on the tag information acquired by the reading control unit 141, the antenna of the receiving source that received the tag information, and the like (step S14). When detecting that the product 60 has been moved to the second placement area 22 (Yes at step S14), the checkout control unit 146 permits (validates) execution of the checkout process (step S15), and transitions to step S16. When the movement to the second placement area 22 is not detected (No at step S14), the checkout control unit 146 invalidates execution of the checkout processing and proceeds to step S16.

Next, the account settlement processing unit 143 determines whether or not the start of the account settlement processing is instructed by the operation of the customer (step S16). When the start of the checkout process is not instructed (No at step S16), the process returns to step S11.

When the checkout processing unit 143 instructs to start the checkout processing (Yes at step S16), it determines whether or not execution of the checkout processing is permitted (step S17). When execution of the checkout processing is invalidated (No at step S17), the checkout processing unit 143 displays a screen urging the movement of the commodity 60 to the second placement area 22 on the monitor 3b (step S18), and then returns to the processing at step S11.

Further, when the execution of the settlement processing is permitted (Yes at step S17), the settlement processing unit 143 executes the settlement processing based on the commodity information that has been sales-registered by the commodity registration unit 142 (step S19).

As described above, according to the self-checkout apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, the execution of the checkout process is suppressed during the period from when the commodity 60 is placed in the first placement area 21 to when the commodity 60 is moved to the second area 22. In this way, in the self-checkout apparatus 1, the customer can be urged to move the commodity 60 placed in the first placement area 21 to the second placement area 22. Therefore, in the self-checkout apparatus 1, the sales registration and the checkout processing of the commodity 60 can be performed based on the tag information read in both the first placement area 21 and the second placement area 22, and therefore, it is possible to reduce the number of unread commodities.

The above-described embodiment may be modified as appropriate by changing a part of the configuration or function of the self checkout device 1. Therefore, several modifications of the above-described embodiments will be described as other embodiments. In the following, the differences from the above-described embodiments will be mainly described, and the details of the common components with those already described will be omitted. The modifications described below may be implemented individually or in appropriate combinations.

(modification 1)

In the above-described embodiment, a mode in which the amount settlement processing is uniformly suppressed when the movement of the commodity 60 to the second placement area 22 cannot be detected has been described. However, even when the movement of the commodity 60 to the second placement area 22 cannot be detected, the transaction process may be required to be exceptionally permitted. For example, it is assumed that when a customer can be specified by presenting a membership card, a tracking survey can be performed when an illegal action or the like is found, and the operation of a checkout process is exceptionally permitted. Therefore, in the present modification, an exceptional process when a customer can be specified will be described.

Fig. 7 is a diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the POS terminal 10 according to the present modification. As shown in fig. 7, the POS terminal 10 according to the present modification includes an authentication processing unit 147 in addition to the above-described reading control unit 141, commodity registration unit 142, payment processing unit 143, display control unit 144, movement detection unit 145, and payment control unit 146.

The authentication processing unit 147 checks the member ID read from the member card by the card reader 35 with the member ID stored in the member file F2, and determines whether or not the member is a regular member. Specifically, the authentication processing unit 147 determines that the member ID read from the member card is a regular member when the member ID is registered in the member file F2. When the authentication processing unit 147 determines that the member is a regular member, execution of the settlement processing is validated (permitted) regardless of detection by the movement detection unit 145 (permission unit).

Fig. 8 is a flowchart showing an example of the commodity sales data processing performed by the self-checkout device 1 according to the present modification. The processing in steps S21 to S23 is the same as in steps S11 to S13 of fig. 6, and therefore, the description thereof is omitted.

In step S24, the authentication processing unit 147 determines whether or not the member ID has been input through the card reader 35 (step S24). When the member ID is not input (No at step S24), the authentication processing section 147 transitions to step S28.

When the member ID is input (Yes in step S24), the authentication processing unit 147 checks the input member ID with the member ID stored in the member file F2, and determines whether or not the member is a regular member (step S25).

Here, when it is determined as a regular member (Yes at step S25), the movement detector 145 permits execution of the checkout process (step S26), and the process proceeds to step S28. When it is determined that the member is not a regular member (No at step S25), the member control unit 146 displays a screen for notifying an authentication error on the monitor 3b (step S27), and then transitions to step S28. Thereafter, the processing in steps S28 to S33 is the same as in steps S14 to S19 of fig. 6 described above, and therefore, the description thereof is omitted.

According to the above-described processing, in the self-checkout apparatus 1 according to the present modification, when the customer who operates the self-checkout apparatus 1 is a regular member, the checkout processing can be performed even in a state where the commodity 60 is not moved to the second placement area 22.

In the present modification, although an example in which execution of the settlement processing is permitted on the condition that the customer is a member is described, the present modification is not limited to this condition. For example, the authentication processing unit 147 may permit execution of a payment process by a designated member (member ID) among the members and not permit execution of a payment process by a member other than the designated member. For example, the authentication processing unit 147 may be configured to permit execution of the settlement process by a member of a designated member level among the member levels divided into a plurality of levels, and not permit execution of the settlement process by members of other levels.

(modification two)

In the above-described embodiment, the example in which the movement of the product 60 to the second placement area 22 is guided by outputting the screen to the monitor 3b has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, when the POS terminal 10 has a voice output device that can output voice, the movement of the product 60 may be guided by voice.

(second embodiment)

Next, a second embodiment will be explained. In the first embodiment, a description has been given of a mode in which the movement of the product 60 to the second placement area 22 is detected based on the read result of the tag information. In the second embodiment, a mode in which the weight of the commodity 60 is detected and the commodity 60 is moved to the second placement area 22 will be described. The same components as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof is omitted.

Fig. 9 is a diagram schematically showing an internal configuration of the cash register 20 according to the present embodiment. As shown in fig. 9, the cash register station 20 has a weight sensor 71 in addition to the configuration described in fig. 2.

The weight sensor 71 is an example of a weight measuring unit, and is provided in the second placement region 22 of the top plate 20 a. The weight sensor 71 measures the weight of the commodity 60 placed on the second placement area 22. The type of the weight sensor 71 is not particularly limited, and a strain gauge type load cell or the like may be used, for example.

In fig. 9, the weight sensor 71 is provided above the second antenna 32, but the present invention is not limited to this configuration. For example, the weight sensor 71 and the second antenna 32 may be integrally formed.

Fig. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the self checkout device 1 according to the present embodiment. As shown in fig. 10, the self checkout apparatus 1 has the weight sensor 71 described above in addition to the configuration described above with reference to fig. 4. The weight sensor 71 is connected to the input/output controller 43, and outputs a measurement result of the measured weight to the control unit 40(CPU40 a). The PLU file F1 according to the present embodiment stores not only the product code, the product name, and the price, but also product information including the weight of the product 60.

Fig. 11 is a diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the POS terminal 10 according to the present embodiment. As shown in fig. 11, the POS terminal 10 includes a reading control unit 141, a commodity registration unit 142, an account settlement processing unit 143, a display control unit 144, a movement detection unit 145a, and an account settlement control unit 146.

Here, the movement detecting unit 145a is a functional unit that replaces the movement detecting unit 145 described above, and detects that the commodity 60 has moved from the first placement area 21 to the second placement area 22. Specifically, the movement detection unit 145a detects that the commodity 60 has been moved from the first placement area 21 to the second placement area 22 based on the weight measured by the weight sensor 71. The condition for determining that the product 60 has been moved to the second placement area 22 can be set arbitrarily.

For example, the movement detection unit 145a may determine that the commodity 60 has moved from the first placement area 21 to the second placement area 22 on the condition that the weight measured by the weight sensor 71 has changed. In this case, the movement detector 145a may be configured to detect the movement of the commodity 60 to the second placement area 22 based on the change in the weight measured by the weight sensor 71, instead of the reading results of the first placement area 21 and the second placement area 22.

The movement detection unit 145a may detect that the product 60 has moved from the first placement area 21 to the second placement area by using the read results of the tag information in the first placement area 21 and the second placement area 22 in combination.

For example, the movement detection unit 145a may determine that the product 60 has moved from the first placement area 21 to the second placement area 22 on the condition that the total weight of the product 60 identified by the tag information (product code) received by the second antenna 32 substantially matches the weight measured by the weight sensor 71. In this case, the movement detector 145a can detect the movement to the second placement area 22 when at least one product 60 placed in the first placement area 21 is placed in the second placement area 22. The commodity weight may be specified in cooperation with the commodity registration unit 142.

For example, the movement detection unit 145a may temporarily store the total weight of the product 60 identified by each tag information (product code) received by the first antenna 31, and determine that the product 60 has been moved from the first placement area 21 to the second placement area 22 on the condition that the weight measured by the weight sensor 71 is equal to or greater than the temporarily stored total weight. In this case, the movement detection unit 145a can detect the movement to the second placement area 22 when all the products 60 read in the first placement area 21 are placed in the second placement area 22.

The order of the product sales data processing performed by the self-checkout device 1 of the present embodiment is the same as the flowchart described in fig. 6, and therefore, the description thereof is omitted.

As described above, according to the self-checkout apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, it is possible to urge the customer to move the commodity 60 placed in the first placement area 21 to the second placement area 22, similarly to the self-checkout apparatus 1 of the first embodiment. Therefore, in the self-checkout apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, the sales registration and the checkout processing of the product 60 can be performed based on the tag information read in both the first placement area 21 and the second placement area 22, and therefore, it is possible to reduce unread products.

The above-described embodiment may be implemented by modifying a part of the configuration or function of the self checkout device 1, and modifying the configuration or function as appropriate. Therefore, several modifications of the above-described embodiments will be described as other embodiments. In the following, points different from the above-described embodiment will be mainly described, and detailed description of points common to those already described will be omitted. The modifications described below may be implemented individually or in appropriate combinations.

(modification 1)

In the above embodiment, a description has been given of a mode in which the movement of the commodity 60 from the first placement area 21 to the second placement area 22 is detected based on the weight measured by the weight sensor 71 provided in the second placement area 22. In the present modification, a description will be given of a mode in which the weight sensors 71 are also provided in the first placement area 21, and the movement of the commodity 60 from the first placement area 21 to the second placement area is detected based on the measurement results of the two weight sensors 71.

In the following description, the weight sensor 71 provided in the first placement area 21 is referred to as a "first weight sensor 71 a" in order to identify the weight sensors 71 provided in the first placement area 21 and the second placement area 22. Further, the weight sensor 71 provided in the second placement area 22, which has been described in the above-described embodiment, is labeled as a "second weight sensor 71 b".

Fig. 12 is a diagram schematically showing an internal configuration of the cash register 20 according to the present modification. As shown in fig. 12, the cash register station 20 has the first weight sensor 71a in addition to the configuration described in fig. 9.

The first weight sensor 71a is provided in the first placement region 21 of the top plate 20 a. In fig. 12, the first weight sensor 71a is provided above the first antenna 31, but the present invention is not limited to this configuration. For example, the first weight sensor 71a and the first antenna 31 may be integrally formed.

Fig. 13 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the self checkout device 1 according to the present modification. As shown in fig. 13, the self checkout device 1 has the first weight sensor 71a described above in addition to the configuration described above with reference to fig. 10. The weight sensor 71 is connected to the input/output controller 43, and outputs the weight measurement result to the control unit 40(CPU40 a). The measurement results of the first weight sensor 71a and the second weight sensor 71b are outputted in a recognizable manner.

In the self-checkout apparatus 1 configured as described above, the movement detection unit 145a detects that the commodity 60 has moved from the first placement area 21 to the second placement area 22 based on the measurement results of the first weight sensor 71a and the second weight sensor 71 b. The condition for determining that the product 60 has been moved to the second placement area 22 may be set arbitrarily.

For example, the movement detection unit 145a may determine that the product 60 has been moved from the first placement area 21 to the second placement area 22 on the condition that the amount of change in the weight measured by the first weight sensor 71a (corresponding to a decreased weight) and the amount of change in the weight measured by the second weight sensor 71b (corresponding to an increased weight) substantially match each other. In this case, the movement detection unit 145 can detect the movement to the second placement area 22 when at least one product 60 placed in the first placement area 21 is placed in the second placement area 22.

For example, the movement detection unit 145a may temporarily store the weight measured by the first weight sensor 71a and determine that the product 60 has been moved from the first placement area 21 to the second placement area 22 on the condition that the weight measured by the second weight sensor 71b substantially matches the temporarily stored weight. In this case, the movement detector 145a can detect the movement to the second placement area 22 when all the commodities 60 placed in the first placement area 21 have been placed in the second placement area 22.

The movement detection unit 145a may detect that the commodity 60 has been moved from the first placement area 21 to the second placement area 22 by using the reading results of the first placement area 21 and the second placement area 22 in combination.

For example, the movement detection unit 145a may determine that the article 60 has moved from the first placement area 21 to the second placement area 22 on the condition that the weight of the article 60 identified by the tag information (article code) received by the second antenna 32 substantially matches the amount of change in weight (corresponding to a reduced weight) measured by the first weight sensor 71 a. In this case, the movement detector 145a can detect the movement to the second placement area 22 when any one of the commodities 60 placed in the first placement area 21 has moved to the second placement area 22. In this case, the second weight sensor 71b may be deactivated or removed.

For example, the movement detector 145a temporarily stores the number of pieces of tag information received by the first antenna 31 and the weight measured by the first weight sensor 71 a. The movement detection unit 145a may determine that the product 60 has moved from the first placement area 21 to the second placement area 22 on the condition that the number of pieces of tag information received by the second antenna 32 and the weight measured by the second weight sensor 71b are equal to or greater than the temporarily stored value. In this case, the movement detector 145a can detect the movement to the second placement area 22 when all the commodities 60 placed in the first placement area 21 have been placed in the second placement area 22. In this case, the movement detection unit 145 can set the number of pieces of tag information read in the first placement area 21 and the second placement area 22 as an element of the determination of movement to the second placement area 22, and therefore, the processing load can be reduced compared with the case where the matching determination of the tag information is performed.

As described above, the self-checkout apparatus 1 according to the present modification can urge the customer to move the commodity 60 placed in the first placement area 21 to the second placement area 22, similarly to the self-checkout apparatus 1 according to the above embodiment. Therefore, in the self-checkout device 1 according to the present modification, since the sales registration and the checkout processing of the commodity 60 can be performed based on the tag information read in both the first placement area 21 and the second placement area 22, it is possible to reduce the number of unread commodities.

Further, the settlement processing may be performed by a customer's portable terminal and the settlement of the code symbol (such as a WeChat payment). In this case, the change machine 34 is not required.

Further, the program executed by the commodity sales data processing apparatus according to each of the above-described embodiments and modifications is provided by being installed in advance in a ROM or the like. The program executed by the merchandise sales data processing apparatus according to the present embodiment may be provided by storing a computer-readable storage medium such as a CD-ROM, a Flexible Disk (FD), and a CD-R, DVD (Digital Versatile Disk) in an installable format or an executable format file.

Further, the program executed by the product sales data processing apparatus according to each of the above-described embodiments and modifications may be stored in a computer connected to a network such as the internet and provided by downloading the program via the network. Further, the program executed in the product sales data processing apparatus of the present embodiment may be provided or configured via a network such as the internet.

The program executed in the commodity sales data processing apparatus according to each of the above-described embodiments and modifications causes the computer to have a module configuration including each of the above-described functional units. A CPU (processor) reads out the program from the storage medium, and loads the respective units in a main storage device. Thus, the above-described units are generated on the main storage device.

While several embodiments of the invention have been described, these embodiments have been presented by way of example, and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These novel embodiments may be embodied in other various forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and changes may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. These embodiments and modifications are included in the scope and gist of the invention, and are included in the invention described in the scope of claims and the equivalent scope thereof.

Claims (10)

1. An article sales data processing apparatus characterized by comprising:

a first reading unit that is provided in a first area where a product is placed, and reads tag information from a wireless tag attached to the product, the tag information including an identifier for identifying the product and the wireless tag;

a second reading unit provided in a second area that is a destination of movement of the product placed in the first area, the second reading unit reading the tag information from the wireless tag attached to the product;

a registration unit configured to perform sales registration of the commodity based on the tag information read by at least one of the first reading unit and the second reading unit;

a settlement unit that executes settlement processing for the commodity sold and registered by the registration unit;

a detection unit that detects that the article has been moved from the first area to the second area; and

and a suppression unit configured to suppress execution of the settlement processing until the detection unit detects movement of the commodity.

2. The merchandise sales data processing apparatus according to claim 1,

the detection unit detects that the article has been moved from the first area to the second area when the tag information is read by the second reading unit.

3. The merchandise sales data processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2,

the detection unit detects that the article has been moved from the first area to the second area when the tag information read by the first reading unit is read by the second reading unit.

4. The merchandise sales data processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a weight measuring section provided in the second area for measuring a weight of the commodity placed in the second area, wherein,

the detection unit detects that the commodity has been moved from the first area to the second area when the weight measured by the weight measurement unit changes.

5. The merchandise sales data processing apparatus according to claim 4,

when the weight of the article identified by the tag information read by the second reading section matches the amount of change in the weight measured by the weight measuring section, it is detected that the article has moved from the first area to the second area.

6. The merchandise sales data processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a display part for displaying the display position of the display part,

wherein the checkout unit displays, on the display unit, a display urging movement of the commodity to the second area.

7. The merchandise sales data processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

an operation part for controlling the operation of the operation part,

wherein the suppression unit disables an operator of the operation unit.

8. The merchandise sales data processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a display part for displaying the display position of the display part,

wherein the suppressing unit displays, on the display unit, a display urging movement of the commodity toward the second area.

9. The merchandise sales data processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

and a permission unit configured to permit the settlement processing regardless of the detection by the detection unit.

10. A storage medium storing a program for causing a computer of a product sales data processing apparatus to function as:

a registration unit configured to perform sales registration of a product based on tag information of a wireless tag attached to the product read by at least one of a first reading unit and a second reading unit, the first reading unit being provided in a first area where the product is placed and configured to read the tag information including an identifier for identifying the product and the wireless tag from the wireless tag, the second reading unit being provided in a second area that is a destination of movement of the product placed in the first area and configured to read the tag information from the wireless tag;

a settlement unit that executes settlement processing for the commodity sold and registered by the registration unit;

a detection unit that detects that the article has been moved from the first area to the second area; and

and a suppression unit configured to suppress execution of the settlement processing until the detection unit detects movement of the commodity.

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